Revel Concerta3 F206 vs Ascend Acustics Sierra V2

[TankTop5]

I’ve decided to start saving for new tower speakers. I’ve had Dynaudio S40’s and Contour 20’s the latter being much more refined but still after living with both their shortcomings and flaws become apparent. I do enjoy the forwardness of Dynaudio and the wall of music they produce. I’ve also had several pair of Focals and in my experience image better than the Dynaudio’s by a large margin (gunshots from 40’ past the walls of my living room and helicopters flying overhead from stereo speakers). I know some of what I enjoy can be artifacts of poorly performing speakers.

comparing the Revels to the Ascend Acoustics which one may give me a little more of a forward presentation while being more neutral (correct) than Focal’s or Dyn’s? I also know there’s the option on the Ascends for the RAAL tweeter and I’m not sure if I need it. I did also have RBH SV-61R’s with a ribbon and they were very clean although a little boring. That said they were in a heavily dampened bedroom and I had Dynaudio Contour 20’s paired with a pair of SVS SB3000’s in the living room so not a fair comparison.

Predicted in room response is almost identical and pricing is similar so I’m interested in what the differences may be in real use. I’m sure either way my ears will adjust to either with use, damn this hobby!

I did ask this question over at ASR but I think I will get a different perspective here.

edited for spelling

 

[Swerd]

Comparing the Revels to the Ascend Acoustics which one may give me a little more of a forward presentation while being more neutral (correct) than Focal’s or Dyn’s?

I haven't heard either speaker, so take what I say as only general comments. I suspect that you might be happy with either speaker. And, I certainly cannot compare them to either Focals of Dynaudio.

I also know there’s the option on the Ascends for the RAAL tweeter and I’m not sure if I need it. I did also have RBH SV-61R’s with a ribbon and they were very clean although a little boring. That said they were in a heavily dampened bedroom and I had Dynaudio Contour 20’s paired with a pair of SVS SB3000’s in the living room so not a fair comparison.

I have speakers (Salk Veracity STs) with the same or very similar RAAL ribbon tweeters. Got them in 2016 and have loved them ever since. Not surprisingly, I like the ribbons. At first, I didn't know what to expect with ribbons as I'd only owned speakers with good quality domes. As I spent more time with them, I think it's easiest to say the RAAL ribbons excel because of what they don't do compared to any dome I've heard. It's subtle, but noticeable. They have a cleaner undistorted sound, with less ssssh sound than domes. I think they're worth the higher price. That, of course, may not matter to you.

I also tend to favor the Ascend Acoustics because a friend (Dennis Murphy) knows Dave Fabricant who designs most or all of Ascend's speakers. He likes his design efforts. I know much less about Revels, except that they have the reputation of being among the best of large corporation commercial speakers.

Predicted in room response is almost identical and pricing is similar so I’m interested in what the differences may be in real use. I’m sure either way my ears will adjust to either with use, damn this hobby!

After a quick look at the measurements, I noticed two things that make me lean toward the Sierra Towers. Their impedance drops to no lower than just under 5 ohms, which will make them easy to drive. The Revels drop to as low as about 3 ohms. Amp power may possibly be a bigger issue for them.

I also worry about the 2 kHz dip with the Revels. Nothing like that appears with the Sierra Towers. That may make the Revels sound more recessed than the Sierras, or it may make the Sierras brighter sounding with more presence. That can depend on what speakers you listen to now. I read on ASR that the Revel's dip comes from floor bounce cancelations, and that others there suggested thick carpeting. I don't know if that will work or not.

I did ask this question over at ASR but I think I will get a different perspective here.

Were there any direct responses to your question? I didn't see any.

I agree that there is a distinct pro-Revel atmosphere at ASR. I had stopped reading it some time ago because amirm's reviews tend to dazzle the reader with details while he also can get a number of important speaker aspects wrong. He tends to like very loud listening levels. Also, he has a following there who tend to create a group-think attitude. So I don't go there often. Does my bias make me favor the Sierra Towers over the Revels? Maybe. As I said above, both seem to be good speakers, and you may be happy with either one.

 

[TankTop5]

I haven't heard either speaker, so take what I say as only general comments. I suspect that you might be happy with either speaker. And, I certainly cannot compare them to either Focals of Dynaudio.
I have speakers (Salk Veracity STs) with the same or very similar RAAL ribbon tweeters. Got them in 2016 and have loved them ever since. Not surprisingly, I like the ribbons. At first, I didn't know what to expect with ribbons as I'd only owned speakers with good quality domes. As I spent more time with them, I think it's easiest to say the RAAL ribbons excel because of what they don't do compared to any dome I've heard. It's subtle, but noticeable. They have a cleaner undistorted sound, with less ssssh sound than domes. I think they're worth the higher price. That, of course, may not matter to you.

I also tend to favor the Ascend Acoustics because a friend (Dennis Murphy) knows Dave Fabricant who designs most or all of Ascend's speakers. He likes his design efforts. I know much less about Revels, except that they have the reputation of being among the best of large corporation commercial speakers.
After a quick look at the measurements, I noticed two things that make me lean toward the Sierra Towers. Their impedance drops to no lower than just under 5 ohms, which will make them easy to drive. The Revels drop to as low as about 3 ohms. Amp power may possibly be a bigger issue for them.

I also worry about the 2 kHz dip with the Revels. Nothing like that appears with the Sierra Towers. That may make the Revels sound more recessed than the Sierras, or it may make the Sierras brighter sounding with more presence. That can depend on what speakers you listen to now. I read on ASR that the Revel's dip comes from floor bounce cancelations, and that others there suggested thick carpeting. I don't know if that will work or not.
Were there any direct responses to your question? I didn't see any.

I agree that there is a distinct pro-Revel atmosphere at ASR. I had stopped reading it some time ago because amirm's reviews tend to dazzle the reader with details while he also can get a number of important speaker aspects wrong. He tends to like very loud listening levels. Also, he has a following there who tend to create a group-think attitude. So I don't go there often. Does my bias make me favor the Sierra Towers over the Revels? Maybe. As I said above, both seem to be good speakers, and you may be happy with either one.

I agree with your take on ASR, way too much groupthink. I like to see if a product is poorly engineered but it seems like unless something is 30db beyond what you can hear it sucks according to ASR, I’d like to see Amir clearly state what’s beyond our ability to hear on his graphs.

Thanks for your input and you have me leaning toward Ascend as I’m not likely to spend a lot on an amplifier to get the most out of the Revels. Currently running a Marantz SR5014 and unless it dies I’ll probably continue to use it for a long time. The idea of the RAAL tweeter is great as I like to pursue perfection but I’m trying to curb spending habits and be content with “good enough”. Also I’ve come to believe (although I still like the idea of cool gadgets) that proper speaker placement, modest room treatment and a little room correction is more audible than more expensive gear.

 

[Swerd]

… I’d like to see Amir clearly state what’s beyond our ability to hear on his graphs.

We'd all like to see that.

Thanks for your input and you have me leaning toward Ascend as I’m not likely to spend a lot on an amplifier to get the most out of the Revels. Currently running a Marantz SR5014 and unless it dies I’ll probably continue to use it for a long time. The idea of the RAAL tweeter is great as I like to pursue perfection but I’m trying to curb spending habits and be content with “good enough”. Also I’ve come to believe (although I still like the idea of cool gadgets) that proper speaker placement, modest room treatment and a little room correction is more audible than more expensive gear.

I'm with you on the good enough vs. state-of-the-art debate. For many years, my SongTowers were good enough. For $1,500 (at the time) they were fabulous. As I approached retirement, I wanted to treat myself to what amounts to STs with better, much more costly state-of-the-art drivers. That pair cost me about triple the price I paid for STs. They're definitely the last speakers I'll ever buy, or want to buy.

So you have to consider your intentions for the new speakers. Are they the be-all and end-all speakers for you, or they merely a stop along the way to Audio Nirvana? The RAAL tweeters cost $600 more, about the same as a very good Hypex NC252MP 2-channel amp.

 

[TankTop5]

We'd all like to see that.
I'm with you on the good enough vs. state-of-the-art debate. For many years, my SongTowers were good enough. For $1,500 (at the time) they were fabulous. As I approached retirement, I wanted to treat myself to what amounts to STs with better, much more costly state-of-the-art drivers. That pair cost me about triple the price I paid for STs. They're definitely the last speakers I'll ever buy, or want to buy.

So you have to consider your intentions for the new speakers. Are they the be-all and end-all speakers for you, or they merely a stop along the way to Audio Nirvana? The RAAL tweeters cost $600 more, about the same as a very good Hypex NC252MP 2-channel amp.

I think I’m looking for a speaker to absolutely enjoy for a decade without feeling like I settled. Probably not the end all be all but something that is more than enough to satisfy me for the next 10 years. It’ll be a couple months before I can purchase so that’ll give me time to decide on the RAAL tweeter.

 

[kini]

I think I’m looking for a speaker to absolutely enjoy for a decade without feeling like I settled. Probably not the end all be all but something that is more than enough to satisfy me for the next 10 years. It’ll be a couple months before I can purchase so that’ll give me time to decide on the RAAL tweeter.

What about Kef R series or Reference series? The Reference are in a different price class though.

 

[everettT]

I’ve decided to start saving for new tower speakers. I’ve had Dynaudio S40’s and Contour 20’s the latter being much more refined but still after living with both their shortcomings and flaws become apparent. I do enjoy the forwardness of Dynaudio and the wall of music they produce. I’ve also had several pair of Focals and in my experience image better than the Dynaudio’s by a large margin (gunshots from 40’ past the walls of my living room and helicopters flying overhead from stereo speakers). I know some of what I enjoy can be artifacts of poorly performing speakers.

comparing the Revels to the Ascend Acoustics which one may give me a little more of a forward presentation while being more neutral (correct) than Focal’s or Dyn’s? I also know there’s the option on the Ascends for the RAAL tweeter and I’m not sure if I need it. I did also have RBH SV-61R’s with a ribbon and they were very clean although a little boring. That said they were in a heavily dampened bedroom and I had Dynaudio Contour 20’s paired with a pair of SVS SB3000’s in the living room so not a fair comparison.

Predicted in room response is almost identical and pricing is similar so I’m interested in what the differences may be in real use. I’m sure either way my ears will adjust to either with use, damn this hobby!

I did ask this question over at ASR but I think I will get a different perspective here.

edited for spelling

If you look at their predicted in room response, they're more similar than different. The Revel might require less low bass fiddling in smaller to medium rooms, but not a certainty, and has distortion better controlled (likely inaudible between the two). Can't go wrong with either.

If you're near Buffalo, there's a pair of 208s for sale for $1500 that have small scratch on the back of one ( if it's only in the clear coat it's a eat repair). FYI